What do autonomy, competence and relatedness all have in common? They’re the three things humans need to thrive and be motivated, according to self-determination theory (SDT).
Developed in the 1970s by researchers Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, the theory is about a person’s ability to decide who we are, where we are going and what we can do.
Why should teachers care about that? Good question. This is why.
Multiple research publications support SDT and its impact on student motivation, both online and in the physical classroom. A 2020 meta-analysis explored 265 studies and concluded that “supporting SDT, autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfactions were strongly correlated with autonomous student motivation”.
Beyond the research, I’ve experienced this working in practice, in my own classroom. And since I started taking explicit steps to boost the three prerequisites of SDT, I’ve noticed that my students’ motivation has increased, which, in turn, has improved the quality of their work.
So, what does a focus on SDT in the classroom look like? It doesn’t require much extra work, but just some simple routines that will fit easily into your existing practice.
Autonomy
One of the easiest ways I have found to increase autonomy is through self-assessment.
I’ve introduced a routine in which students read over their work and attempt to improve it - we call it “up-levelling time” in my classroom. I usually make sure we do this in at least one lesson per day and slot it in at the end of the lesson for around five to 10 minutes.
I have found that students start to take more ownership of their work as a result, not to mention, it saves me time planning as much in the way of “fast-finisher” work.
Doing this well requires you to create a climate of positivity and motivation. When students make any reflective improvements or developments to their work, we celebrate it by showing the class and making a big deal out of the improvement, which in turn signals to the class the importance of this feat, spurring them on to follow suit. I write very positive comments on the work, and sometimes even inform the student’s parents of their effort via an email, including a picture of the success.
Sometimes, students will not know how to improve what they have done, so it’s important to provide them with a strategy. For example, if the students are going to write their own stories, demonstrate to the class how to up-level an adjective: big, huge, gigantic, monumental. When they finish, they have a strategy ready, can use a thesaurus and find synonyms of some keywords to develop their writing.
Competence
Developing a student’s sense of competence can be achieved through recognition and sharing of their work, as outlined above. But actually, I’ve found that the setting of achievable goals, tracking the student’s improvement, and sharing it with them, is more effective here.
For example, if the student is learning phonics, create a chart where they can colour in a box above each sound once they have learned it. This allows them to visualise the progress they are making. It also acts as a resource you can pull out to show the student, saying things like: “Look how many sounds you have learned this month!” Essentially, you are building up their experience of seeing their own progress.
Relatedness
Relatedness refers to the connection students feel with each other within the classroom.
In my classroom, whole-class projects have made the most impact. They unify the class in the pursuit of a common goal and give them a chance to collaborate and connect.
For example, last year, my Year 3 class came together to write a short story about kindness. I invented a fictional character of a bear and encouraged them to think about a kind act they could do for the bear, and how he’d react.
I then got the book printed and gave them all a copy. Granted, it was extra work for me, but they were all extremely excited to receive and read the books. One even brought hers to school this year to read during her guided reading lesson. This worked so well because, at the end of it, the results were tangible and clear.
Whole-class organised charity events work very well, too - and they double up as a chance for students to learn about giving.
Integrating consideration of these three key psychological requirements has transformed my classroom over the last few years. Could it do the same for you?
Gregory Macur is a head of primary Cambridge curriculum and Year 3 teacher in China.
